While the city police is under attack from lawyers , city police commissioner, Jyothiprakash Mirji, claims things are under control and all is well with the police morale in an interview with Deccan Chronicle.
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There was reportedly a delay in registering the FIR against the group of lawyers who attacked head constable Basavaraja and woman constable Roopa.
There was no delay in registering the FIR. We have identified the accused and named them in the report. We also arrested the prime accused, Manjunath. The others fled. We will get them soon.
If the policemen on duty can be assaulted in public how are you going to ensure the safety of Bengalureans?
This was an unfortunate incident. It shouldn’t have happened. We are dealing with it and will not spare the accused. Nobody is above the law. Q But there seems to be a great amount of reluctance, bordering on inaction in dealing with the the lawyers. A. There’s no question of being worried. We are taking action , but for long term results we are looking at engaging with the appropriate authorities in the courts and Bar for coming to an understanding and resolving the issue once and for all.
With the judiciary against the city police for alleged excesses on March 17 and lack of government support, are you feeling isolated?
No, the Advocates' Association has already condemned lawyers involved in Tuesday’s assault. It means a lot to us. We have the support of the government. We will have to wait for the case, which is coming up for hearing tomorrow. I can’t say much because the matter is sub judice.
Is the police morale low? How will you ensure that policemen on duty are not beaten up again considering that court duty is part of their every day work?
The police morale is not low. We will take steps to ensure that such incidents don’t recur. Policemen will continue with their court duty.